The present invention relates to devices for carrying ammunition magazines in the field.
Ammunition for automatic and semiautomatic weapons is typically loaded in spring-loaded containers or magazines which present multiple cartridges for rapid discharge from a rifle, shotgun, or pistol. A soldier, law enforcement officer, or sportsman can carry multiple magazines, making it possible to very rapidly replenish the ammunition of a weapon under time pressure.
Conventionally, ammunition magazines are carried in fabric pouches which are worn on belts or on vests. Yet these pouches remain attached to the user once the magazine has been removed, and, if provided with a covering flap, can interfere with the rapid removal of the magazine. Moreover, pouches may be limited in the variety of magazines which they can contain. Molded plastic attachments are known which fasten to the exterior of a magazine and which provide a clip for attaching the assembly to a belt.
What is needed is a device which permits an ammunition magazine to be alternatively attached to a belt or a conventional PALS vest which imposes a reduced weight burden on the user and which facilitates rapid access to and use of ammunition magazines.